During the 2nd week of the season, we will be focusing primarily on six different matchups.

Green Bay Packers vs. Chicago Bears; Packers to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Money Line

Totals

Chicago Bears

+6 -110

+230

Ov 50½ -110

Green Bay Packers

-6 -110

-275

Un 50½ -110

For this particular matchup, the Chicago Bears have been showing a much better offense lately than anyone has anticipated.

Green Bay Packers

Chicago Bears

Rank

Offensive

Rank

18

Average Score For

3

19

Total Yards

6

26

Rushing Yards

14

11

Passing Yards

3

Rank

Defensive

Rank

23

Average Score Against

13

21

Total Yards

18

31

Rushing Yards

8

6

Passing Yards

26

The Bears led a great win against the Colts, while on the road, and managed to win. This week they are at home, playing against a good team. The Packers have the right defense for the job; they are able to stop the passing plays, which the Bears are fond of. Packers will be able to shut down QB Jay Cutler, but the rushing plays may be problematic. The good news for the Packers is that LB Brian Urlacher does have a knee injury, but it is still unknown whether he will participate or not; giving the packers a great advantage when it comes to passing and rushing.

Even though the Packers are my pick to win, it doesn’t seem that the game will be a blowout by any means; the Bears have a very good chance of keeping the final score within the point spread. With both teams offenses looking really good, and they defenses lacking, the total amount of points should be high for this game.

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans; Texans to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Money Line

Totals

Houston Texans

-7½ -110

-350

Ov 41½ -110

Jacksonville Jaguars

+7½ -110

+290

Un 41½ -110

Jacksonville Jaguars

Houston Texans

Rank

Offensive

Rank

16

Average Score For

9

16

Total Yards

17

15

Rushing Yards

19

17

Passing Yards

16

Rank

Defensive

Rank

20

Average Score Against

1

23

Total Yards

8

23

Rushing Yards

11

19

Passing Yards

9

This matchup will be determined by the stronger defense; even after giving the Jaguars the home field advantage. Both teams have lost a key wide receiver to injury, which essentially evens out the playing field; Texans WR Andre Johnson and Jaguars WR Justin Blackmon. The Jaguars show an average performance when it comes to rushing and passing; both of which the Texans defend well against. On the other hand, the Jaguars lack a good defense in both of those regards, which will allow Texans QB Matt Schaub to freely pass it to WR Owen Williams or run the ball with RB Arian Foster.

Since the defenses have a good chance of stopping the opposing team’s plays; this will most likely end up being a low scoring game. With the point spread showing a ½, I would take the Jaguars when it comes to keeping the score under 7 points.

Pittsburgh Steelers vs. New York Jets; Jets to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Money Line

Totals

New York Jets

+6 -110

+225

Ov 41½ -110

Pittsburgh Steelers

-6 -110

-265

Un 41½ -110

Pittsburgh Steelers

New York Jets

Rank

Offensive

Rank

22

Average Score For

1

23

Total Yards

11

24

Rushing Yards

12

23

Passing Yards

13

Rank

Defensive

Rank

25

Average Score Against

22

15

Total Yards

24

16

Rushing Yards

32

14

Passing Yards

8

This is a tough matchup to gauge. The Steelers had a poor performance the previous week, and from how they performed, we can assume that their top-notch defense isn’t as good as every thought. The Steelers also have an injured running back, Baron Batch, who got injured during the first week of the season; it isn’t probable that he will play this game. This will help the Jets, as they do not do well against the rushing game. The Jets have a superior offense, led by QB Mark Sanchez, and a good pass coverage with CB Darrelle Revis.

The Steelers will be playing at home, which is why they will be able to beat the spread. The total score for the game should be quite high.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Detroit Lions; 49ers to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Money Line

Totals

Detroit Lions

+7 -115

+265

Ov 46 -110

San Francisco 49ers

-7 -105

-315

Un 46 -110

Detroit Lions

San Francisco 49ers

Rank

Offensive

Rank

12

Average Score For

9

5

Total Yards

12

19

Rushing Yards

2

1

Passing Yards

27

Rank

Defensive

Rank

16

Average Score Against

14

2

Total Yards

14

10

Rushing Yards

6

4

Passing Yards

22

Even though the Detroit Lions show a much better prowess when it comes to the offense and defense, it is mainly because they were up against an average contender. This time around, they are against one of the best in the league, the 49ers. The 49rs have an excellent QB, Alex Smith that threw for an impressive 76.9%. The Lions primarily rely on the passing game, which is where the 49ers could end up stopping them. This is really a toss-up, but seeing as the 49ers are at home, and were able to defeat a tough opponent last week, they are my pick.

I do believe that the Lions will be able to keep the score pretty tight, relying on their good defense to keep the spread low. With such great offenses and defenses, this will certainly be a fast paced and high scoring game.

Atlanta Falcons vs. Denver Broncos; Broncos to Win

The Odds

Team

Spread

Money Line

Totals

Denver Broncos

+3 -105

+145

Ov 51 -110

Atlanta Falcons

-3 -115

-165

Un 51 -110

Atlanta Falcons

Denver Broncos

Rank

Offensive

Rank

4

Average Score For

8

13

Total Yards

18

18

Rushing Yards

17

8

Passing Yards

19

Rank

Defensive

Rank

18

Average Score Against

11

26

Total Yards

9

28

Rushing Yards

9

15

Passing Yards

10

With the Broncos being the Underdog, I am sure some are skeptical about the team winning. Both of the quarterbacks are experienced and have a very accurate throw. Both teams rely on their passing in order to get yards and score; they use running as a method of getting first downs or running a short route to score. The Broncos have a much better defense, with LB Wesley Woodyard to stop the running and DB Tracy Porter for the pass coverage. Having that combination of a great passing offense, a good overall defense; I am giving the win to the Broncos even if they are playing on the road.

This will be a very close match, and since I am already saying that the Broncos are going to win, they will beat the point spread at the same time. Both teams show a good average of points scored against strong defensive teams, which means that their offense does well against the defense; showing that this will be a high scoring game.